San Francisco Giants Have Chance at Last Laugh Versus Dodgers

The southpaw stopped the bleeding for his team by allowing just one earned run in six innings, and he even mixed in some offense with a double and run scored.

Justin Verlander pitched eight innings of one-hit ball in a stellar second start for Houston, and the Astros snapped their four-game skid with a 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night. They did so against a last-place team by a slim margin. He is going the stiff-upper-lip route. The Diamondbacks won 3-1. They have the division title to fall back on.

Fortunately for the Dodgers, streaks can end at any moment. But for a pitcher coming back from a back injury, it's worth monitoring if it continues to trend downwards. The Dodgers have supported their pitchers with 11 runs in the first two games of the series, and they will look to add to the total against a pitcher they have enjoyed seeing in the past.

Estrada (8-8) allowed four hits, no walks and two runs. Cueto holds a 1.37 WHIP with 112 strikeouts in 126 innings.

The ending was harrowing.

There are only five more games left in the season series. He pounded his chest after striking out Buster Posey and Nick Hundley to end it.

"It's contagious to hit as well as it is contagious to not hit", Maddon said. The 1944 Brooklyn team lost 16 straight games. "He got it done", Kershaw said of the Dodgers' closer.

"It was a full team effort tonight", said Kershaw following the win. The malaise has spread across the entire roster. His status will be updated Tuesday.

Denard Span homered into the San Francisco Bay, and Jarrett Parker added a solo shot as the last-place Giants evened the season series with Los Angeles 7-7. They will play Tennessee this week, though, and so it's time to talk football again while remaining sensitive to those still without electricity, those still feeling the aftereffects of a destructive natural disaster. Cut back to the waterfall. Grandal stared at a belt-high fastball for strike two. Jay tells me that there's still beer down in the Field Club. The Dodgers stranded seven runners in the first three innings.

"A lot of relief in that clubhouse", Roberts said. Kershaw turned to his most reliable weapon - an inside fastball.

Kyle Freeland was struck in the shoulder by a 115-mph line drive off the bat of J.D. Unlike the Dodgers, they're playing competent baseball.

He's a future first-ballot Hall of Famer and a three-time (and counting) Cy Young Award winner, and he makes things very hard on just about everybody.

It started with Utley. "Just got to get back to winning, that's about it. Nothing else about that". "My name isn't 'Dodgers, '" he said with his usual wide smile, drawing his hand across the front of his jersey. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium lost some signage but sustained no major damage, the school announced.

All bets were off as soon as Kershaw left the game. Slater came up empty.

The Dodgers then caught a break when two defensive miscues by the Giants opened the door for the rest of the four-run uprising. Kershaw broke for third a moment late. One fan even used his rain-soaked poncho to choreograph his own moment of pure joy. Kershaw looked uncomfortable as he rose, but shooed away Roberts and trainer Neil Rampe. "Hopefully, the momentum will carry over to the next starting pitcher". The Nationals have closed the gap for the top seed in the NL to four games.

Kershaw needed the cushion.

With the win, the Dodgers clinched at least a share of the second wild card spot and therefore a postseason birth. It was originally scored a fielder's choice.